Abrogation of Article 370: As UT, Ladakh gets its own Civil Secretariat

Ladakh region of the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir State today got a shot in the arm as the Jammu and Kashmir administration issued a significant order stating that the offices of Administrative Secretary will be stationed in Leh region and the divisional commissioner Leh would report to him from now onwards.

According to the official sources, this is the first move by the J&K administration regarding setting up of “first UT Civil Secretariat” in Ladakh that would officially be declared as the UT on October 31.

This is the first major order issued by the J&K administration for the UT Ladakh post abrogation of Article 370 and bifurcation of erstwhile state into two UTs—Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir, on August 5.

According to the order issued by the General Administration Department (GAD), to oversee the transition of Ladakh to a UT under the J&K Re-organisation Act 2019, it is herModieby ordered that the headquarters of the Administrative Secretary Ladakh affairs department shall be shifted to Leh, Ladakh with immediate effect. “Consequent of the above order, the Commissioner Secretary Leh, Ladakh Rigzin Sampheal shall be stationed in Leh,” the order dated October 16, 2019, read.

Further, the order reads that the divisional commissioner Leh Ladakh shall report to the Administrative Secretary Leh till further orders. Reliable sources in the government revealed that as UT, Ladakh would have all its administrative affairs settled in the new secretariat there only where top officials of the administration including Administrative Secretary (AS) Divisional Commissioner and other secretaries will remain present round the clock. “Besides this, Ladakh will also have Inspector General of Police. Earlier, Ladakh was looked after by the IGP Kashmir,” sources said.

They said that people of Ladakh have already expressed its gratitude to the Prime Minister Narendera Modi and the Union Home Minister for full filling their long pending demanding of declaring Ladakh as UT. With J&K being second UT formed out of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, Civil Secretariat continues to operate from Jammu in winter and from Srinagar in summer months. Recently, Civil Secretariat offices were shifted from Srinagar to Jammu as part of the age old practice of bi-annual Darbar Move signifying that the practice would continue despite the scrapping of Article 370 and bifurcation of erstwhile State. (KNS)